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Chapter 5: The Train Ride and Sorting
Steam from the engine billowed over the platform, robes rustled, parents gave teary goodbyes to their eager children, who's heads were filled with dreams; the younger ones dreaming of fantastic magicks, amazing creatures, the massive castle, and the fabled buffet of the Great Hall, while the older ones looked forward to seeing friends again, advanced subjects and eagerly awaiting the chance to graduate and move into their respective desired careers. Alek sighed; he was never ready for these types of things. Ashe had been nice enough to agree to come with him to seeing his kids off. Sure, he was the All-Father of the Deti t'my, but he was still a father. Though he did do some things that Ashe teased him for being "motherly".
"Do you have everything?" Harry and Veritas rolled their eyes. "Yes Father." They said in unison, impatiently looking around the platform, eyes scanning about the crowd. Ashe chuckled next to Father, "You really don't need to be their mother Alek. I'm sure they're intelligent enough to pack their own bags." The boy's nodded their heads vigorously, eager to be allowed to mingle with their new peers. Father sighed, "I can't help it. They are my youngest children." Father smiled, "Alright you two. Go on before I start worrying again." Ashe giggled as the two rushed off in a flurry of smiles and excitement. "Your kids are so cute." Alek smiled at the two brothers running off happily together, joking about, "They are, aren't they?"
Alek froze and Ashe's eyes narrowed as a chill passed over both of them. "Do you feel it Ashe? Voldemort's spirit, it's here." Ashe nodded, lifting up his eyepatch, using his eye to scan the crowd. He scowled, unable to trace it. "It's hidden very well. Even my All Seeing Eye cannot find him." He turned to Alek, who looked ready to grab the boys, quieting him, "I'll go on the train and track him. I'll tell you what I find when I get to Hogwarts." Alek nodded, knowing that his best friend would never allow him to worry excessively, go with the boys, or take them back home with Alek. "Besides," Ashe said with a grin, "Rachael will be there too. We'll keep them safe."
Alek sighed, giving in, albeit unwillingly. "I know. I'm just concerned. That fool Dumbledore is there, and now there is a maniac that I can't find stalking about!" Ashe looked into the other's eyes, "That's what this is about isn't it? You can't find him. You aren't in control. You can't save them or the others here." Alek's head hung a bit, causing the teen to sigh. This was a continuous problem for his rescuer. "You aren't all powerful Alek. You may feel like you need to save everyone you can, but it doesn't work like that! They may be your children, and they are your responsiblity, but you can't do everything. That's why we're here Alek! Isn't that what you plan on telling Veritas and Harry if they ever feel this way?" Alek's head snapped up, about to protest but then deciding not to. After all, his friend was right. He was being a hypocrite, about something concerning his kids no less.
Ashe gave him a quick hug, "Don't worry. Moldie Shorts won't get near them." Alek smiled at the teen as Ashe quickly walked over to the train, melting into the crowd. Alek sighed once more, scanning the coaches for the smiling faces of his kids. Seeing them waving like there was no tomorrow from a window, he smiled and waved back. He felt a bit better with two of his family and friends watching out for his kids. He Apparated away, comforted slightly. Only slightly. If only that God damn Headmaster wasn't there. He still remembered his meeting with him months ago...
A week after the trip to Diagon Alley...
With a *Pop!*, Alek Apparated into Hogwarts. He looked around at the stately halls of the massive castle and rolled his eyes. Honestly, what was up with Wizards and really big castles? Although, to be fair, there aren't that many giant buildings that can house a Wizarding school. But that was off topic. Alek swept down the halls to the Handmaster's office, searching for it. Coming across the gargoyle, he used the Darkness to figure out the password. It was a unique skill that he alone possessed. Useful for dropping in on unsuspecting manipulative bastards like Dumbledore. "Hellfyre." An interesting choice Headmaster.
As he walked into the office, Dumbledore looked up from his desk in surprise, "Ah, hello there! Um, who do I have the pleasure of meeting?" Smirking, Alek pulled up a chair, and sat before answering, "My name is Alek Sharp, I assume you received my letter about my visit today?" Albus inwardly was seething. So this was the man that was turning everything upside-down for him and the War. And now, to add insult to injury, he had arrived early, catching the Headmaster by surprise and unprepared, somehow managing to get his passcode! Speaking of things that should have not happened... "Yes, of course, it's a pleasure, it was merely unexpected that you knew the password to my office."
The infuriating man gave Dumbledore an equally infuriating smirk that made the man's blood boil, "It was incredibly easy to guess. Perhaps you should try something more unusual?" Seething, Albus had made a mental note to do just that. Perhaps he'd use candies... Muggle candies... Focus Albus, he thought to himself, keeping his face jolly, "I didn't realize that my password choice was so obvious. I will remedy that as soon as possible." Alek had no doubt about that. "But, now to business. I have recently found out about your adoption of young Harry. Pray tell, why did you decide this was necessary?" Alek snorted, driving the older Headmaster's blood pressure up even more. "It was fairly obvious that it was necessary. He was being abused by his relatives. I mean, he nearly told us his name was 'Freak' when we first met from being called it for years! How was it not necessary?"
Albus cursed this man's... sympathetic spirit. This was exactly why he had made sure no one had any contact with the boy. Especially not Hagrid! That would have been a disaster. Dumbledore knew that the Dursleys treated the boy rough but it was necessary, critical even, for the molding of Harry. But most people, like this idiot, thought differently. Clearly, this young fool (at least young by Dumbledore's standards) believed he knew better. Honestly, the man seemed to be in his forties but that was decades younger than Albus. Albus was older and saw the big picture. He figured a man of Mr. Sharp's age would at least be mature enough to ask those in charge of this War before deciding to do something so drastic!
"Surely you thought that you should have contacted the Ministry or Myself about this before going through with your idea." Alek shrugged, nonchalantly, "The Ministry obviously didn't care about the state of the boy if they willingly let him stay in such a place. Either that or they did not know and just didn't care about the treatment of their Savior. And as for yourself," the man glared at the Headmaster, who kept his face a perfect symbol of understanding, yet authority, "The same logic applies. However, at the time I was not aware of your involvement in the case." Albus sighed, he had no good argument for this statement, "Yes, I should have been more clear about our intentions from the beginning. But now to more present business," the Headmaster said while Alek smirked, not missing Albus' smooth deflection of his accusation.
"You stated in your letter that you wanted to keep your boys safe. I can assure you that will be the case my friend." Alek leaned back in his chair, "Indeed; I do not doubt your abilities or... intentions Headmaster. However, my son will be a celebrity and this could be most distressing for him, as he is very shy around others due to the abuse," he said to Dumbledore, giving him a very pointed look which the older man chose to ignore. "I merely wish to know he will be treated no different from the other students in the school and that no one would try to dictate his choices in school." Internally, Albus groaned; this man seemed to be able to read his thoughts and plans. Oh well, if he had to promise the man that he wouldn't, Dumbledore supposed that he would. It didn't mean that he was going to keep his word on this occasion. Oh, no, he needed to mold the boy. For the greater good of course.
"Of course Mr. Sharp. We treat everyone equally here and we would never think of influencing a student to do anything they don't want to. Is that all you wanted to talk about Mr. Sharp?" Alek, knowing better than to trust the Headmaster's word, nodded and stood up, "That is all. I assume you contact me if there is anything you wish to discuss as I know I will be doing so. Good day."
Back on the train...
"I can't wait! This is going to be so much fun!" The hyper Harry said, bouncing excitedly up and down on the seat. Veritas smiled at his eager little brother, "I know, right? It will be so exciting. It's one thing to read or lightly practice a bit, but to spend a whole school year doing magic and other cool stuff!" The door opened, and to Veritas' dismay, Harry drew back into his shy shell. A blond haired boy was there, flanked by a couple, well, to put it simply, meatheads. Idiots. Etc. Veritas nodded to the Malfoy, "Greetings Draco. I trust you're doing well?" Draco smiled, and nodded, "Excellent, thank you. May we sit here?" Glancing over at Harry, who nodded, Veritas agreed. Harry moved over to the same side as Veritas as Draco and his cronies sat on the other side.
Draco motioned to his thuggish friends, "I nearly forgot to introduce my two friends. This is Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle." "Please call me Crabbe," said the one on his left, "Vincent is a terrible name." Goyle agreed, "Call me Goyle. As nice as Gregory is, Goyle is better." Draco smiled at the two across from them, "What House are you hoping for? I know I'm going to be in Slytherin, whole family has been there." The Crabbe and Goyle agreed. Veritas shrugged as Harry remained quiet, "We don't know really. We're the first of our family t go to Hogwarts; but after reading up on the houses I think they all have some positive attributes- except for Hufflepuff, of course." Everyone chuckled at this before Veritas continued, "Slytherin seems like the best but Father will support us no matter what House we go in."
Harry, quiet, thought he heard Draco mutter, "I wish mine would too..." His eyebrow went up a little bit; was Malfoy having Daddy issues? That was certainly an interesting tidbit to keep for later. At that moment, the door opened, and a redhead and a couple boys flanking him appeared, "So it's true?" Harry shied behind his older brother as he felt the redhead's eyes glued to his scar. "You're the famous Harry Potter?" Seeing the blonde sitting next to the Boy-Who-Lived, he turned to him, "And you are...?" The older brother looked coldly at the redhead, "Veritas."
The two boys flanking the boy snickered a bit. Draco's eyes turned fiery, "Think his name's funny, do you?" He looked the leader of the trio over, "No need to ask who you are. My Father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford." The Weasley reddened, if possible, even more at this comment, and the two behind them became angry. Harry whimpered quietly, only Veritas noticing. The blonde was up, pushing the redhead back as soon as he made a move towards Draco, "Draco that was uncalled for. However, unless you three want to do something besides gawk over me and Harry's scar, please leave. Now." Veritas said firmly, causing an irritated Weasley and his cronies to stalk off.
"You okay?" Veritas whispered to Harry as he sat down. Harry nodded, silently thanking his brother. Veritas nodded back, aware that conflict like that still made his younger brother uneasy. That God damned abuse never seemed to stop rearing it's ugly head. Draco watched the silent exchange curiously before Veritas turned to the blond, "What was the name of that bastard?" "A Weasley. A pureblood family, though you'd never know it by the way they act." Veritas raised an eyebrow, "Is there a problem with muggles? I know quite a few are extremely intelligent." Draco shrugged, "I have nothing against the intelligent ones. But still... encouraging us to intermarry with them? How are we to stay identifiably Malfoys, even Weasleys if you are cursed with being one?"
Veritas nodded, agreeing, "True. But marrying a second or third generation mudblood wouldn't be so bad. Not optimal, but at they rate things are going, we're going to make ourselves extinct unless we have more kids or unless we intermarry. That's part of the reason way our Father decided on such a large family- 5 kids in total. Of course, he wanted to have that many and loves each of us, but he's realized the population problem we have. I mean, you die Draco and there's no heir left. If your parents then died before they had another kid, the Malfoy line would be over. It's really quite sad that we've let it get this bad." Draco conceded the point and the topic of the conversation turned to other subjects.
As they talked, Harry grew more and more comfortable around the group and began to come out of his shell a bit. There was a lapse when Blaise Zabini came in but to the delight of his older brother, the raven was opening up to the others in the room. It was not too long before the announcement that they'd be arriving soon reached them and they got ready to leave. They had by this point become good friends, staying together as they were herded towards boats by the half-giant. Draco mumbled something about him being a savage but other than that they all quietly made for the boats.
They marveled at Hogwarts when they came around the bay. The castle was enormous, lit up with fire and all manner of lights a wizard would use. They landed and the Deputy Headmistress herded them in front of the Great Hall. Where they were promptly told to wait. Suddenly, Harry frantically tugged on Veritas' sleeve and got his older brother's attention. "They're going to call my name first." Veritas' eyes widened as he realized that fact. He knew the issue. Harry only wanted to be with his brother. But if the burnet went first, that could be ruined for them. "You'll just have to tell the Sorting Hat that. You're not brave enough for Gryffindor so worst case scenario, your brains get you into Ravenclaw. Which is fine little bro, but I won't get put in there. I'm not smart enough and I'm cunning to a degree. If we want to stick together, we'll need to get into Slytherin. Try and use our bloodline to back up your claim." Harry nodded, nervous.
The redhead from earlier walked up to their group. The others got ready for a confrontation, "I didn't properly introduce myself," he said. "My name is Ronald Weasley, you can call me Ron. I say that you were hanging out with those snakes over there. Don't know why, with their parents having all supported You-Know-Who who... well, you know. You'll soon find out that some Wizarding Families are much better than others Harry. I can help you there, you don't want to be hangin' around the wrong sort. We're all part of the Light after all," Ron said extending his hand.
Veritas watched his little brother curiously. Harry made up his mind, "Thanks, but no thanks. Light does not make right. And from what I've seen, I think I know who's the better family." The others shared grins as Ron sputtered in shock and his two lackeys looked in surprise at Harry. Ron looked like he was about to protest, but a cold glare from Veritas sent him scurrying off. A moment later, Professor McGonagall appeared, "We're ready for you now."
The first years were led into the Greta Hall, massive vaulted ceiling turning into the night sky, twinkling with stars, the moon slowly rising up, complete with the occasional shooting star flying overhead. They heard a girl in front of them mutter to someone, "It's not real, the ceiling. It's just bewitched to look like the night sky. I read about it in Hogwarts: A History." They grinned at each other: definitely a Ravenclaw and most likely a Mudblood. They were marched down between the tables, past the other students.
They stopped in front of the main table, where the Headmaster stood up and addressed the students. They all looked at each other, some curious, other afraid, when Dumbledore mentioned the "painful death" that awaited those who dared to venture up to the third floor. Harry looked at Veritas quizzically, who shrugged. The blonde knew his little brother wasn't asking about what was there; if anyone would have read about it, Harry would've. No, the brunette was curious as to why the Headmaster would make an announcement that would make people curious. Veritas had no answer.
The then brought out a hat that started moving and sang a song. The gang heard a few gasps from those unprepared for it. Then McGonagall called up the first years. "Vincent Crabbe!" The boy muttered about how he hated that name as he went up, "SLYTHERIN!" the hat promptly yelled. "Hermione Granger!" The witch from earlier nervously walked up, causing Weasley to mutter to a friend, "Mental that one." "GRYFFINDOR!" The hat yelled out after a few moments. With a sigh of relief, she went over to the Lions' table. They went through a other; Goyle went to Slytherin as well.
"Draco Malfoy!" The blond went up and the Hat went on his head. It took a bit longer than most expected, before, "RAVENCLAW!" The gang was startled as a even paler Draco went over to the Ravenclaw table. Harry and Veritas were surprised; Blaise leaned over and whispered, "It's not too suprising. Did you notice anything about hm on the train ride?" Harry nodded, "He seemed much smarter than he was letting on." Blaise nodded, "Draco is a genius. He has to hide it, and he does it rather well, but the Hat judges your abilities, not your acting."
"We'll just have to support him." Harry said firmly. At Veritas' look he continued, "I heard Draco mutter something earlier. I get the impression his dad is not going to be very happen about Draco' Sorting." Veritas nodded, understanding.
"Harry Potter-Sharp!" The halls quieted as Harry went up and the Hat went down. Hmmm, interesting. So you are a Deti t'my. Very good Slytherin material. Hmmm, not very brave except when your brother is around, and even then you're shy. Certainly not Gryffindor. Very loyal, yes, but incredibly smart too. Almost as smart as that last boy. You'd do well in Ravenclaw. Harry thought back, Slytherin. My brother will not make it into Ravenclaw, and I want to stay with him. The hat mentally sighed, He won't be around forever. You'll need to stand on your own someday. But if you insist so strongly...
"Better be... SLYTHERIN!" The Hall was a stunned quiet except for the clapping from the Slytherin table. Snape was amused at that old fool's face. It looked like someone had gone up and smacked Albus with a frying pan. He looked at the boy walking over to the table, sitting next to his friends he walked in with. The boy did not look too much like James or Lily much at all. His hair was darker, more under control, he was shy, but his eyes... Snape barely kept his face from showing any emotion when the boy looked at him. His eyes looked just like Lily's. He forced himself not to start reminiscing. Damn, this would be a hard year.
Unexpected? Anyways, I have a question for you loyal readers. Who do you think Draco should be paired with, if at all? I am undecided and will greatly appreciate any ideas you have.
Any ideas you give me in a review (be it about this or any thing else) are greatly appreciated. One reviewer helped me decide the course of this chapter, believe it or not! Anyways, any help is happily accepted.
Next time: Albus' head is reeling from the Sorting,
Snap is unsure about our heroes,
and Draco suffers the wrath of Mr. Malfoy
~FS